Virginia Martin, Author at BirminghamWatch - Page 476 of 480
Donate About Subscribe

Virginia Martin

Jeffco Legislators Predict Medicaid and Prison Funding Will Dominate Early Days of the Session.

Alabama legislators convened their regular session Tuesday facing some of the same problems that consumed them last year. “The main thing for all of us is going to be the budget,” said Allen Treadaway, R-Morris. The governor is recommending a $1.9 billion General Fund budget that is almost flat funding from this year, though he has said he was considering proposing a pay raise for state employees. His $6.3 billion proposed Education Trust Fund budget does not include a raise for education employees, who did get a bump in pay this year. But the two biggest elephants in the budget conference room will once again be Medicaid and prisons. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

Heavy Turnout Spurs Long Lines but No Major Problems at the Polls

A contentious presidential race drove heavy turnout at the polls Tuesday, causing long lines at some polling places and periodic glitches with voting machines and routines. As of late Tuesday night, almost 1.9 million ballots had been tallied, with 60 of 67 counties having reported their results, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s website. But the state had slightly higher turnout in 2008 and 2012. Almost 2.1 million people voted in each of those years. A surge in voter registration teased election officials with the prospect of record voter turnout, but it was not to be. Still, turnout was heavy Tuesday, and people from across the state reported having to stand in line for three hours or more to cast their ballots. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

As If We Needed Reminders, Anyway…

If you had been stricken with amnesia and couldn’t remember who was running for president, you wouldn’t have gotten any clues as you approached polling places in Jefferson County. Despite the complete inundation of news and ads and chatter about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton the past several months as they have pushed toward their epic showdown, there was literally no sign for either approaching precincts in Jefferson County. Was this some new political strategy? Were party leaders here trying to give voters a break, fearing they suffered from candidate fatigue? Nope. They just didn’t have any signs for the candidates at the top of their tickets.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr., BirminghamWatch

There’s Just One Day to Vote, and It’s Nov. 8

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Department is on the lookout this afternoon for people posting or handing out fliers that erroneously tell Democratic voters they cannot vote until Nov. 9. After receiving several calls today about misleading fliers posted at polling places in Tuscaloosa County, Probate Judge W. Hardy McCollum notified the Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s Department, according

by Virginia Martin

How Long Should it Take to Vote?

So how long should it take you to read the ballot and vote – and is there a time limit? Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan King said while there’s no set time limit for voters to cast their ballots, it is not expected to take more than 12 minutes. “Normally, it’s suggested statewide that voters

by Virginia Martin

Homewood Senior Citizens Center

Poll official Myra Mizerany said the biggest problem at the Homewood Senior Citizens Center polling place on Oak Grove Road today had been “voters wanting to camp out.” “I had one woman this morning who took 35 minutes to vote,” she said. “But we haven’t turned anyone away or had any problems.” Mizerany said voting

by Virginia Martin

At the Polls

BirminghamWatch, in partnership with ProPublica’s Electionland project, is keeping track of activities at the polls today. If you have a tip about issues at the polls, you can text ELECTIONLAND to 69866. Or you can notify BirminghamWatch directly by emailing vmartin@bellsouth.net or calling 205-595-2402, and a reporter will check out your tip. 7:00 p.m. Polls just closed in Alabama, and several polling places reported they had lines of voters still waiting to vote. Under state law, the polls must remain open until all the voters who were in line at 7 p.m. cast their ballots. 4:24 p.m. The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department is on the lookout this afternoon for people posting or handing out fliers that erroneously tell Democratic voters they cannot vote until Nov. 9. Read more. 2:30 p.m. After complaints from some voters who thought poll workers were rushing them, Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan King said there's no set time limit for voters to cast their ballots, but he would not expect it to take more than about 12 minutes. Read more. 11:15 a.m. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill retweeted a reminder that those voting a straight party ticket do not also have to vote for individual candidates. There has been confusion over that issue all morning. 10:26 a.m. Lines were beginning to die down at Homewood Senior Citizens Center after a hectic morning. Read more. 7:20 a.m. Voters at Hoover Fire Station No. 8 had to put their ballots in a locked box in a voting machine after the machine broke. Similar reports have been made from other polling places. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

Hoover Fire Station No. 8 Malfunction

Janet Haines, lead poll official at Hoover Fire Station No. 8, said the ballots are in a locked portion of the machine and will be counted later. The machine malfunction caused a bit of a line at first, but it dissipated quickly, Haines said. The polling place now is using its one working box. This

by Virginia Martin

Long Lines Greet People Trying to Vote Early Today

Cameron Ydarraga turned 18 in September and has been looking forward to his first chance to vote. The John Carroll Catholic senior considered the candidates and he considered the amendments. But the Hoover resident didn’t consider the incredibly long line in which he would have to stand at Hunter Street Baptist Church before casting his ballot. Cameron wasn’t the only one taken aback by the crowd, which was “Way, way, way more than normal,” according to a poll worker who asked that his name not be used. Voters at other polling places across the area also were facing long lines this morning. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr., BirminghamWatch
1 … 474 475 476 477 478 … 480